When Is It Finally Time for a Man to Buy a New Wallet?

Receiving your first wallet is always a momentous occasion. It signifies that you’re finally old enough to own something to carry your few dollars and smattering of pocket change around, which pretty much means you’re all grown up. Whether it’s due to loss or wear and tear, though, eventually guys need to get a new one, and it never feels as momentous.

Instead, buying a new wallet is usually a hassle. You have to clean out your old one, your new one doesn’t have the same number of places to put things as your old one did, it fits differently in your pocket, and most of all, it’s a little ridiculous to spend a lot of money on something that will carry what is now even less of your money.

Sometimes you have to ask the question, though, when is it time to buy a new wallet? Here are four situations.

The first is if you don’t currently have a wallet. Carrying around loose cash and cards in your pocket is a great way to lose them, so for the sake of your own financial security, buy a new wallet. Even a cheap, ugly wallet will do a better job of keeping you from losing your driver’s license, credit card, and cash than your pockets will. You also look like a sitcom caricature of a man if you pull a crumbled wad of cash out of your pocket when you pay for things. If you’re currently walking around wallet-less, use a few of those crumpled dollar bills in your pocket to buy a new one.

A man’s wallet | iStock.com

The second situation is when your wallet has worn out. If you have to ask yourself if your wallet is still in good enough condition to keep, it probably isn’t. At a very basic level, continuing to use a wallet that’s worn out is a lot like continuing to wear a shirt that’s worn out. If you legitimately can’t afford to buy a new one, you probably have much bigger challenges to tackle than looking stylish, but if you’re simply choosing not to, all it does is make you look stingy.

The third situation is when your wallet is something a child might own. You may not see a reason to get rid of the neon-green, Velcro wallet you’ve had since middle school, but it’s probably time to go ahead and do so anyway. Part of being an adult is putting away childish things, and when you pull out a Scooby-Do wallet to pay for a date, I guarantee your date doesn’t think it’s as cool as you do. Something leather and understated is much more appropriate for a grown man.

A wallet | iStock.com

Finally, the fourth situation is when yours is too thick to walk or sit comfortably. Having a wallet that bulges out of your pocket is unsightly, and it can also wear holes in your pants. Buying new pants has its place, but that should be something you do on your own terms, not because your wallet tore a hole in them. If you’re having this problem, it’s time to find a slimmer wallet. Personally, I use a leather money clip that I got as a groomsman gift several years ago, but any number of slim wallets will do the trick.

No one really wants to buy a new wallet, but sometimes the circumstances require it. If you’re in any one of the four situations above, it’s time to take the plunge and buy a new one. The great news is, even if you don’t want to go to the store and shop for a new wallet in person, you can always head over to Amazon and have one shipped to your door. It’ll make you look more grown up, professional, and probably more stylish as well.